Some people choose to run marathons for charity. Others sit in baths of baked beans, while for some, its enough simply to rattle a tin the local high street.
Donna Adams had her sights set on something rather more spectacular when she decided to help the Hullbridge-based Mushroom Theatre Company – a 180-mile trek across the Arctic Circle.
The trip involved driving a team of five huskies across the frozen wastes and camping out in temperatures as cold as -20c.
Normally Donna, 28, is to be found working for A R Adams funeral directors, which has branches in Rayleigh and Thorpe Bay.
However, for this trip, she spent more than a year training for what turned out to be an amazing experience, albeit a tough one at times.
She said: “Sledding over the mountains, getting caught in cross-winds and pushing the sleds uphill and over tricky terrain in incredibly deep snow, did take its toll.
“The natural, untouched landscapes are breathtaking, so you are constantly spurred on.
“After arriving at a suitable place to camp for the night – usually a frozen lake – your first priority is to unharness and feed the dogs.
“They are your main lifeline, so their needs must come first at all times.
“Once they are settled, you can then pitch your tent, cook some food and settle down for the night before the temperature drops, which it definitely does!”
She added: “In the morning, your hair would be frozen and there would be frost on the outside your sleeping bag.
“Because you have good equipment you don’t feel it too much.”
Donna, of Dalys Road, Rochford, funded the expedition herself, so all the money raised from sponsorship would go directly to the charity.
Mushroom Theatre Company helps young people with disabilities to enjoy the performing arts alongside able-bodied youngsters.
So far, Donna, has raised £2,500. She is still hoping for more donations via the blog website she set up for the trip, across-the-arctic.com While the expedition was great fun, Donna said it was not without its hairy moments.
She recalled: “I was the first person to fall off my sled “I fell down a ravine, off the edge of a cliff. We had stopped and my sled was hanging half off, then we set off and I fell.
“I was dangling over the edge, hanging on to the sled over about a 20ft drop.”